1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to basketball goal assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mounting assembly for mounting a heavy-duty basketball goal assembly with comparative ease and vibration resistance.
2. The Relevant Technology
Basketball is an increasingly popular sport in the United States and abroad. There are many cities, counties and other associations that sponsor recreational and instruction leagues where people of all ages can participate in the sport of basketball. Today there are organized leagues for children as young as five and six years old. Accordingly, is not surprising that more and more people have a basketball goal assembly mounted on their own property.
Home basketball assemblies are generally either portable or permanently-mounted. Portable basketball assemblies typically are comparatively lightweight, with a weighted base that can be transported from one location to another through the use of wheels or the like. Permanently-mounted basketball assemblies, on the other hand, are typically larger and heavier and are designed to be fixed permanently in place through the use of a concrete mounting block or a similar mounting structure. Thus, permanently-mounted assemblies are often more stable, and can therefore provide a better playing experience.
However, permanently-mounted assemblies are often somewhat difficult to assemble, in part because of the way in which such assemblies are typically mounted. Normally, such a basketball goal assembly is mounted on a concrete block with four protruding bolts in a square configuration. A base plate affixed to the basketball goal assembly has holes in a square configuration like that of the bolts. The entire basketball goal assembly must typically be lifted off the ground, in a vertical orientation, and then set down so that each hole of the base plate is aligned with a bolt. As mentioned above, permanently-mounted assemblies are typically heavy-duty. Consequently, the task of lifting such a base up in the vertical orientation, moving it over the bolts, and aligning the holes of the base plate with the bolts is a difficult operation that normally requires the use of several strong adults, if suitable hoisting machinery is not available.
Prior to installation of the base plate, a nut is typically threaded onto each bolt so that the base plate rests on several nuts. Each nut can be independently raised or lowered by twisting the nut. Thus, in the case of a square, four-bolt configuration, each corner of the base plate can be independently raised or lowered. Such a configuration has the advantage of permitting relatively simple adjustment of the orientation of the backboard so that the backboard can be leveled appropriately. However, only the corners of the base plate are supported; the center of the base plate is suspended over the concrete surface. As a result, the center of the base plate may be pressed downward or may be tilted during game play.
Accordingly, despite the additional structural material used to form such heavy-duty assemblies, known goal assemblies often are not rigid enough to prevent motion or vibration of the backboard during game play. When a player puts significant weight on the goal through a maneuver such as slam dunking, that weight is transmitted through the structure of the basketball goal assembly to the base plate. Under the user""s weight, the base plate tends to elastically deform somewhat; although the deformations are small, they are multiplied through the length of the pole so that significant motion of the backboard occurs. The result is a vibration that gives the impression of instability, and can even cause basketballs to rebound unpredictably from the backboard.
Known basketball goal mounting assemblies designed to have enhanced stiffness or easy assembly are typically ineffective because they do not permit easy leveling of the basketball goal. For example, mounting assemblies that utilize a hinged base plate to facilitate pivotal installation of the basketball goal assembly typically do not permit side-to-side adjustment of the orientation of the basketball goal assembly. Thus, the basketball goal cannot be leveled in the lateral direction. Assemblies in which the base plate directly abuts a flat concrete surface or template may have enhanced stiffness, but typically cannot be leveled at all.
Consequently, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a system and method for mounting a basketball goal assembly without lifting the assembly off the ground in the vertical orientation. Additionally, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a system and method for stiffening a basketball goal assembly to resist movement of the backboard during game play.
Preferably, such a basketball goal assembly should have a mounting assembly in which a standard sized concrete mounting block can be used. Thus, it is preferable to stiffen the goal assembly while changing the geometry of the base plate as little as possible. It would also be desirable to provide such a system and method in which the basketball goal assembly could be leveled front-to-back as well as side-to-side after the goal assembly has been mounted. The system and method is preferably operable by a user with a minimum of tooling and effort. Additionally, the system as a whole is preferably inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
The apparatus of the present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available basketball goal assemblies. Thus, it is an overall objective of the present invention to provide a system and method for mounting a basketball goal assembly without the need to fully lift the basketball goal assembly off the ground in the vertical orientation. It is also an overall objective of the present invention to provide a system and method for stiffening a basketball goal assembly against backboard motion.
To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein in the preferred embodiment, a novel mounting assembly for a basketball goal assembly is provided. The mounting assembly preferably comprises a base plate with a plurality of holes. For example, four holes may be used, and may be arranged so that each hole is positioned at a vertex of a square. There may be two front holes and two rear holes.
Bending is generally proportional to the applied force and the moment arm applied by the force, and inversely proportional to its thickness and sectional modulus. The moment arm, in turn, is generally proportional to the length of the member. The present invention utilizes novel methods to decrease the effective length of the member in which the most bending occurs, or the span of the base plate between the two front holes. Several different methods are envisioned.
One possible method of decreasing bending in the base plate is to provide an intermediate support member positioned underneath the base plate, between the two front holes. Thus, the span of the base plate between the front holes is effectively split into two separate and shorter lengths, each of which receives half of the force applied against the base plate by the pole. The bending moment against each length is reduced so that overall bending of the base plate is smaller.
Alternatively, the two front holes in the base plate may be brought closer together. Thus, the holes of the base plate may form a trapezoidal, rather than a square, configuration. Once again, the length of the span of the base member between the two front holes is reduced to reduce bending.
As another alternative, the pole may be mounted closer to the front side of the base member than the rear side. Since the distance between the pole and the front holes is reduced, the span of the base member that experiences the bending stress will be shorter.
Any of the above methods may be utilized, alone or in combination, to reduce motion of the backboard of the basketball goal assembly. Alternatively, any other method that effectively reduces the size of the span of the base member between the front holes may be used.
The mounting assembly may also have features designed to enable the basketball goal assembly to be erected without lifting the entire assembly off of the ground. For example, the front holes of the base plate may be elongated to form slots so that the base plate can be pivoted over the front retaining members, or J-bolts. The rear holes may then slide over the rear retaining members in a near-vertical motion.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.